Lowell Moser: A Gentleman Giant in Agricultural Research.

Dr. Lowell E. Moser was born in Akron, Ohio in 1940. In 1946, his mother and father purchased a dairy farm in Ohio where Lowell’s interest in agriculture blossomed. He was an only child and has described himself as the first, the last, the best, and the worst child in his family. He attended Ohio University as a freshman, where his advisor counseled him to transfer to Ohio State after his freshman year so he could focus on agriculture. He completed his B.S. in Agricultural Education in 1962 from The Ohio State University, his M.S. in Range Management in 1964 from Kansas State University, and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1967 in Forage and Turf Physiology and Management. Lowell met his wife Lovell while at Kansas State, and they married in 1964. Dr. Moser’s first faculty appointment was as an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University from 1967 to 1970. Both of Lowell’s children, Carrie and Bill, were born in Ohio. In 1970, Lowell accepted a position in forages in the Department of Agronomy at the University of Nebraska as an Associate Professor. In 1975, the University of Nebraska promoted Dr. Moser to Professor and he served in that capacity until his retirement in 2005. Teaching was Dr. Moser’s passion. During his 35 years at the University of Nebraska, his faculty appointment on an FTE basis averaged 82% teaching and 18% research. Lowell advised numerous graduate students and many of his former students serve as professors and scientists throughout the world. Even with this heavy teaching load, Dr. Moser published more than 70 refereed journal articles, more than a dozen book chapters, and edited two Agronomy Monographs. Dr. Moser served as the President of the Crop Science Society of America in 1999 and the President of the American Society of Agronomy in 2004. Most importantly, Lowell Moser was a gentleman of impeccable character who modeled integrity and grace and fostered an academic atmosphere of excellence.